How I Met Your Mother: CBS Sitcom to End After Eight Seasons?

Published: July 7, 2010

Not since Friends has there been a more tightly-knit group of sitcom characters than those on How I Met Your Mother. It’s hard to imagine what the show would be without Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders, Jason Segel, Josh Radnor, or Neil Patrick Harris.

Well, we might find out in a few years. In a recent interview with GQ, Segel noted that he has three years left on his How I Met Your Mother contract. The actor/director/writer intends to leave the sitcom when that time comes.

He said, “It’s an amazing place to be. But when you become an actor, part of it, the secret part of it, is that you don’t want to work a regular nine-to-five job. And the secret part of a TV show is that it’s a nine-to-five job. And eight years is longer than any relationship I’ve ever been in, it’s longer than any school I went to. I think after eight years, I’ll feel like I honorably did my commitment.”

Should Mother continue without the whole cast?

Segel continued, “It’s funny — it’s the greatest problem in the world to have. Jeez — I’m the luckiest guy in the world. But when your idol is Peter Sellers, playing one character for eight years isn’t what you’re trying to do. I don’t really feel like I have that much more to offer with this character. Maybe if we got divorced or something — but that’s not gonna happen. It’s gonna be some iteration of, like, my TV wife opens the fridge, and she’s like, ‘What happened to the birthday cake?’ And I walk in with a little frosting here [points to corner of mouth] like, ‘What birthday cake?'”

CBS, 20th Century Fox TV, and the show’s producers haven’t commented on Segel’s intention to leave but he’s probably not the only one. The other actors’ contracts also expire at the end of season eight. The fivesome signed a new contract in 2009 that brought their per-episode salaries to $90,000-$120,000 retroactively and extended their commitment to eight seasons.

The higher-ups could be planning on ending How I Met Your Mother after eight seasons or they could opt to continue on with as many original castmembers as they can get and/or afford.

What do you think? Should the sitcom continue without the core cast intact? Does season eight sound like a good place to end it?

The writgher of this sitcom, is most careful and consistent when wrighting the story.

Unlike the show that is so close to this one “Friends”, there have not been any counterdicting actions troughout any of the seasons.

It is only natural that he tought about the time when the whole thing will end, from the very begining.

Unlike Friends, where if I remember right, it was Monica wich says that Chanler can’t grow a beard, but when they have highschool memories, he clearly has one.

The consistency of this show, is what cept hooked.

Also. I don’t think the last episodes have been that down.
After all, the worst episode of “How I met your mother” has to be the third one out of the very first season. (I allmost quit watching after that episode)
It is only the death of Mashals dad, wich has grimed out the atmosphere lately.

Make no misstake, I am certen that this will wear off.

Soon enough we will be getting new inside jokes, such as the dopplegangers and the 5 slaps.

i dont think he will because in season 1 the thanksgiving episode ted meets a stripper and she says her real name is victoria and then says “that is how i met your mother im just kidding” which would mean that the mothers name has to be victoria because his kids believed it at first

This is a great show but it definately seems to be in downturn compared to previous seasons. I agree with a lot of other comments…. they should show the story of Ted and the mother and develop the storyline. Could be a great ending to a great show!

I say sure, end it at 8, the show has been amazing. See Friends was a lot like Family Guy is and even the Simpsons. The amount of time you have been on doesn’t mean crap. I could watch all my favorite episodes of friends in no time, out of 10 seasons I probably have around 40-50 episodes I love. Same goes with Family Guy. Some episodes are just dull. I seriously can start from season 1 again and watch and laugh and enjoy every episode of how i met your mother. i hate to break it to people but sex sells, and it has more sex references in one season than all 10 seasons of Friends combined. I believe without the Barney character I wouldn;t enjoy it as much. But Segel is awesome as well, they all are, I love the series and I am ok with 8 seasons because I know eventually they are going to run out of ideas, kinda like he was saying with the bad divorce angle, just end it while it’s good. Plus it gives us 2 more seasons so im not complaining.

I think it shouldn’t keep going with other actors but shouldn’t stop after 8 seasons. Yes it can’t go on forever but they are already on the 6th season so there’s only 2 more left. It will be sad to see it end but it has to. Sure they can continue With different actors but it won’t be the same without the original cast. Also I really want to find out how the mother is like most people but it’s better for us to not find out so we can enjoy the rest of the show while it lasts.

Wow, I really don’t see how this show will continue to thrive with a different cast; even if only one person is replaced, like Jason Segel, the whole show will seem a little disorientated and the characters won’t seem so real.
I also know that many of our main characters were chosen specifically to play these parts and if they end their contract at the same time as Segel, I don’t think the writers of this show would be too happy to replace them with just anybody.
But I would be very interested to see who some people think could replace our current characters (For instance, it’s soo hard to find a really hot, down-to-earth Real Canadian like Cobie Smulders~~)

I love this show but I think that it is starting to not be as amazing. as much as i hate to say it i think its time for the show to end. I think that it still will be good after the 8th season but if Jason and others are leaving it will be hard to still be good. I think he should meet the wife in the 7th season and a relationship/marriage/pregnant in season 8. I cant wait to see who the mother is but i do not want this show to end but if it continuing means it will be bad i rather it end being amazing.

SPOILER ALERT – I’m almost positive that it was Season 1 Episode 1 where Ted stated to the kids, “and that’s how I met your Aunt Robin.” Assuming of course that Ted is the father of the kids, I would say that Robin is not their mother. He also mentions the yellow umbrella as their mother’s yellow umbrella, and that their mother was that one girl’s roommate, which definitely excludes Robin. I know Robin would be perfect for the part, but anyone who truly believes she’s the mother didn’t watch the first episode, or isn’t even up to date on the current episode, hence the SPOILER ALERT.

Well, we know this much: The narration of the show takes place in 2030. We’ve seen Ted’s kids and I think it’s fair to say that the eldest one is at least 16; thus Ted has to meet his wife and she has to get pregnant by 2013: the year that series 8 of HIMYM will end. It seems like remarkable planning on the part of the producers that that would be the case. What I think will happen is that Ted will meet ‘The Mother’ at the end of this series (6), they will have a relationship in series 7, get married at some point and the finale will have the announcement of her pregnancy.

That is what could happen but maybe Ted will met her end o season 7/start season 8 and say she’s just a average girlfriend, the announce the marriage near the end and have the wedding about the last episode.

Yeah they should decide when to wrap it up to tie up and loose ends, I’d hate to see it get cancelled after waiting for years to find out who the mom is. If the last words are “this is your mother” with no backstory I will kill the writers. They need to wrap it up nicely and give us a backstory.